Red Light Camera: One Month, One Camera, And $709,900 In Fines

A concerned Schaumburg citizen who attended the Public Safety Committee meeting on January 8th, reported that the Village of Schaumburg has found a gold mine in red light traffic camera citations.

Bob Garrett wrote to us at SchaumburgFreedom.com. He explained “Red Speed Illinois sent 7,403 violations to the Village of Schaumburg, of which 7,099 were approved. Collecting $133,231.98 in new revenue from Nov 16th to Dec 23rd.”

Keep in mind that this red light camera is only at one intersection, Meacham Road & Woodfield Road, and Schaumburg is considering up to 10 total sites for red light cameras in the future.

According to Schaumburg’s contract with Red Speed, which is the private company behind this program, they stand to make a pretty penny on this deal. Red Speed collects a $1,499.00 monthly fee from the Village and $35.94 per ticket. With 7,099 tickets written that comes to an astounding total of $256,637.06 in potential revenue for Red Speed in the first 38 days of operation of the camera.

No word yet if the camera has been effective in reducing traffic accidents. A previous SchaumburgFreedom.com investigation found that at least 9 comprehensive studies on red light cameras found that the cameras actually made intersections less safe.

The Schaumburg Freedom Coalition’s solution to this problem is to remove all red light cameras and increase the duration of yellow lights at problem intersections. Unlike dangerous red light cameras, extending the yellow light duration is a proven method in reducing accidents at intersections.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brian Costin is President and founder of The Schaumburg Freedom Coalition, a group of citizens who are concerned about the government in the Village of Schaumburg.

Costin is also the Assistant Director of Government Relations at the Heartland Institute, a kick ass, free market, Libertarian minded policy think tank based in Chicago.

GEEK EDITOR’S NOTE: From time to time, The Expired Meter will publish columns or articles contributed by readers. The Expired Meter will publish almost any contribution from any person with any point of view, pro or con, as long as it relates to parking, parking tickets, red light cameras and other related topics in the greater Chicagoland area.